Percy and the Muggle
by PerdreySNH
Summary: "Sometimes it takes for your heart to be completely torn apart before it can be stitched back together." So this is about Percy after the war and how he manages. It involves other characters as well but is centered around Percy, how he copes and his love life. It's been rated T seeing as later on there may be some suggested adult themes and a wee bit of violence.
1. Bad Acquaintance

**Percy and the Muggle**

_A/N: Okay, so this is my first fanfic ever so I would really appreciate a review just to see if you like it and thanks to those who do review. I have used pieces from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this to try keep it in line with the canon story. I am open to constructive criticism in reviews and I will hopefully add on a few more chapters so bear with me seeing as I am still trying to get the hang of this site._

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately the magic world created by J. K. Rowling doesn't belong to me, nor do the characters._

It had been but a month since the war ended and the wizarding community was slowly stitching itself back together. For the Weasley family - and many more like them - the death of a close relative was still painful and that was why Percy had brought himself to muggle London. He had returned to his family on the final day of the battle; the day his younger brother Fred was killed. When he closed his eyes all he could see was the flying debris from the explosion and then Fred lying still - dead, mid-laugh. _Why didn't I save him? _He asked himself repeatedly even though he knew he couldn't.

He was annoyed at himself for a number of reasons. Firstly; he still worked at the Ministry of Magic even though he had decided to resign. Fred was with him when he had told Pius Thicknesse, the ex-Minister.

_Fred and I backed away from a small group of hooded men. Hexes and curses flying about our heads in flashes of light. Harry, Ron and Hermione helped to take down the Death Eaters. The man that I was duelling turned his head to glance at his comrades. That slight movement caused his hood to fall and reveal his face._

"_Hello, Minister!" I bellowed, sending a neat jinx straight at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clawed at the front of his robes, apparently in awful discomfort. "Did I mention I'm resigning?"_

He and Fred had shared a laugh. Not too long after that, Fred was dead. Even now, a month later, he couldn't bring himself to say those words. _My brother is dead… _He whispered in his head. It didn't sound true. _Maybe this is one of Fred and George's practical jokes? _He asked himself but even he knew this was too far for a prank.

Secondly; the Ministry had been the cause for his estrangement to his family. What if he continued to work which lead to a new barrier between him and his family. Memories of before flooded back to him.

"_You are a complete idiot to be running around with Dumbledore!" I shout at dad, not bothering to control my words. "Dumbledore is heading for big trouble and when he hits it, you'll be taken down too. I know where my loyalty lies and it is with the ministry! If you and mum are going to become traitors then I am making sure that everyone knows that I am not part of this family anymore!" I storm upstairs and pack my bags before permanently moving to my flat in London._

What kept him from resigning was a number of reasons: he enjoyed his job; Kingsley Shacklebolt was now Minister; the hassle of resigning seemed unnecessary; it would be mean to abandon the Ministry while they were recovering; and jobs right now were very slim. These were the things he contemplated as he wandered aimlessly through the streets of muggle London.

The British weather reflected his foul mood perfectly. The sky was grey and threatening to rain. Percy ducked into a bookstore as the first few drops began to fall. A bell tinkled as Percy pushed the door open and tinkled again as the door fell shut. He made his way to a shelf and pretended to browse the book spines but he didn't take in the words until a voice spoke from behind him.

"You don't really seem like a Hinduism fanatic, if you don't mind me saying." A woman chuckled. She was an inch or two shorter than Percy and had her curly brown hair pulled back into a bun. A few strands had escaped and framed her face. Blue-grey eyes smiled through 'nerdy' glasses to him. She couldn't help but notice how tired he looked.

Percy looked at her blankly for a few seconds. "P-pardon?" he then looked at the title of the shelf. "World-Wide Religions… Ohh…" he said slowly. A part of his mind wondered why he hadn't noticed this himself. Another part asked why this muggle was speaking to him.

The woman gave him a sympathetic smile. "Rough day?" she asked, making chitchat as she could see his mood was fragile.

Percy ran a hand through his bright red hair. "You could say that." He nodded. "Why are you talking to me?" he asked, not meaning it to sound as rude and pompous as it did.

She took a step back. _So he was one of those people then… _She sighed internally. _Put on a suit, lift a briefcase and TADAH! They automatically think they are superior. _"You looked a bit lost." She shrugged and lifted up a box of books that sat by her foot. "I was merely offering some company." With that she turned and walked away.

Percy watched her leave. A twinge of guilt hit him but he pushed it aside and decided to go home. _Who is __**she**__ to judge __**me**__? _He wondered as he made his way to a deserted ally to disapparate. _Maybe Penny is right, I don't understand girls. _He decided that was it before apparating home to his girlfriend of 6 years - Penelope Clearwater.

Later when Percy recounted this story to Penelope, he was shocked that she didn't agree with his actions. _Shouldn't she be happy?_ He asked himself. What he didn't know however, was Penny's reasoning and how she had spent her day.


	2. Six Years Too Many

**A/N: Well, I couldn't wait to post next chapter and so here it is, hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Not sure if I put this on every chapter but better safe than sorry. So yeah, J.K. Rowling owns everything, all I did was make a fanfic out of her work.**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 2 - Six Years Too Many<span>**

Percy apparated into the living room of the flat he shared with his girlfriend of the past six years, Penelope Clearwater. She wasn't there when he arrived but he could hear a noise in the bedroom and then Penelope's voice shouting, "Is that you Percy?"

"Yeah." Percy called back as he went into the kitchen. "Would you like some tea?"

"That would be perfect." She shouted back. Once Percy had the kettle on, he could have sworn he heard a pop but he let it pass over him. He took two mugs from the cupboard and two tea bags from the tin labelled 'TEA'. Once the kettle finished boiling he poured the water into the mugs, stirred the tea bags, took them out and added milk and sugar.

"Ready!" He shouted to Penelope. He carried the mugs to the living room and set them on the table - with a coaster each, obviously.

"How are you, darling? You're early." Penelope said as she walked into the living room. Her blonde hair was down and slightly messy. "I was in the middle of a nap." She told him with a yawn. "How was your day, dear?" She sat down on the sofa and lifted a mug to her lips, watching him carefully as she took a sip.

"I'm alright I guess, just the same as always. Mr Shacklebolt sent me home at noon. I went for a walk through muggle London to clear my mind." He then told her the whole story of the bookstore.

"You are a complete idiot at times, Perce." She said, being outright.

Percy spluttered on his tea. "P-pardon? How so?" He protested. "I did nothing wrong! It was the muggle that spoke to me!" He argued.

"Percy, you killed a conversion after 10 seconds! That must be a world record!" She exclaimed, "Tomorrow you are going back there and staying at least 30 minutes." She ordered.

"Fine… Fine…" He sighed, not understanding why Penelope wanted him to go talk to this muggle girl. _Isn't it common knowledge that all girls get jealous when their boyfriends talk to cute girls? _He shook his head slightly to clear that thought. _Boring, plain muggle girls. _ He corrected. "What did you do today, Penny?" He asked. Penelope had lost her job in the run up to the Battle of Hogwarts so now she was searching for a new one.

"Just the usual, you know. Job hunting, catching up with some school friends, a nap." She said, keeping it vague like she often did now. "Nothing too interesting."

Percy nodded. Penelope was different from when they were 15. Most of their days were spent in silence and recently he had started sleeping on the sofa or going home to his old room.

When it came to love and relationships, Percy found that he struggled. He struggled even with family relationships and when it came to romantic relationships, Percy had next to no knowledge. This is why he didn't notice how much he and Penelope had drifted apart. This is also why he didn't see the signs to the next crash in his life.

_I did nothing wrong. Why must I be the one to go apologise to the muggle? She spoke to me. _He thought bitterly, the whole way to the bookshop. He automatically spotted the girl he had spoken to yesterday and made his way over. "Hello, I believe we spoke yesterday. I was apparently rude to you so I am here to apologise for my behaviour." He said in his usual pompous manner.

The girl turned and looked at him. "Did your mother prepare that speech for you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No, my girlfriend did." He retorted. The girl rolled her eyes and went back to stacking books.

"Did it ever occur to you that silence may be your best option? You don't seem to understand polite conversation or sarcasm." She told him, her voice staying calm and measured. "Did your girlfriend seriously say 'Go apologise to the girl you were rude to and I promise I won't get jealous'?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Seems highly unlikely to me."

Percy frowned. "Along those lines, yes. Is that weird?" He wondered aloud.

"Yes. It is." The woman answered, grinning slightly.

"Do you know something I don't, Miss….?" Percy asked warily.

"Audrey Greene." She smiled and offered a hand.

Percy shook it. "Audrey." He said slowly trying out the name to see how it felt rolling off his tongue. "It's a pleasure to get to know your acquaintance is what I should have said yesterday."

"Yesterday was bad acquaintance-ing." She smirked. "What's your name?"

"Percy Weasley. Your grammar is atrocious." He stated indigenously.

Audrey snorted, "I could say the same about your social skills." She retorted.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Fine, well I had better be off." He nodded his head to her. "I'll see you around, Audrey." With that he left, stopping by a flower shop on his way back home.

Percy picked out a bouquet of red roses. "Thank you very much, they are as perfect as my beautiful girlfriend." He said proudly to the elderly lady behind the counter.

"I'm sure she will love them, my dear." The lady smiled. "Is it a special occasion?" She asked with a knowing smile.

Percy blushed slightly, "Thank you again, Ma'am." He nodded to her then made his way to his apartment.

Percy pushed open the unlocked the door and walked in. "Penny, I'm home." He called to her, going to the kitchen to get a bottle of wine he had bought a few weeks prior. He wasn't much of a drinker but he allowed a glass of wine or champagne at times. _Six years and only now am I doing this? _He asked himself, realising that Fred was his wake up call. Life was short so he was best to make the most of it. He took two glasses and walked to the living room. "We need to talk." He smiled brightly to Penelope as she came out of the bedroom.

"You are right, Percy." She agreed, sitting on the edge of the sofa. "We have been together for six years now, it is about time we decide where we go from here." She told him, looking at the roses and wine.

Percy nodded eagerly. "You are right about that. We have only one reasonable option."

Penelope smiled. "I am glad you agree. I will be moved out by the time you get home tomorrow."

Percy had been reaching into his pocket but his hand dropped at those words. "We're breaking up…?" He asked slowly, not believing what he had just heard.

"Of course. Isn't that what you were thinking too?" Penny asked.

Percy nodded, his mind in a daze.

"I knew it wouldn't be long until you found out about the other men." She continued.

Percy stared at her in a dumbfounded phase. "Other men…"

Penelope stood and kissed his forehead. "Thank you for being so calm." She said sweetly then went to the bedroom to begin packing.

A few minutes later a man - who Percy distinctly remembered being in Ravenclaw - walked out of the bedroom. "Afternoon, Perce." He nodded as he let himself out.


	3. The Defeat of Percy Weasley

**A/N: This is a lot shorter than the previous two but I hate violence and conflict so this was hard to write so I wanted to keep it short.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own the Magical world of Harry Potter.**

**P.S. Does anyone know if I have to write the disclaimer for every chapter?**

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><p>As the door shut behind the man - Henry, was it? - Percy stood and stormed to the bedroom door. "What in the name of Merlin is going on Penelope?!" He yelled, not caring if the neighbours heard him. "How long have you been seeing these men?"<p>

Penelope flinched, not used to him yelling at her. She quickly redeemed herself though. "Since you abandoned your family. It was just an occasional shag here and there since you were too busy working!" she shouted back, standing up so they were at eye level. "The past month it has been nearly every day. This is completely your fault Percy." She snapped at him. "First it was work, then it was stubbornness and finally it was because your brother is dead! Do you know how neglected I felt? I was _always _second best for you! Maybe you will just always be a big-headed, stubborn, irritating, lonely prat!" She spat at him, shoving past him to go into the bathroom.

Percy whirled around and caught her wrist. "Out." He hissed. "_Now._"

Penelope looked at him. Her facial expression was a cross between shock, anger and hurt. "Now isn't a good time to start joking." She frowned. "You're serious… aren't you?" She asked in amazement. Penny ran a hand through her blond hair. "What about my stuff? Where am I going to stay? You can't kick me out, Percy!" Her voice began to raise in panic.

Percy silently led her to the door. "I'll mail your stuff on once you get an address. If you hadn't been so busy in running a brothel then you would have been prepared for this." He said in disgust. "Goodbye, Miss Clearwater." The door swung shut with a bang.

Percy quickly whipped out his wand and put charms on the apartment so that no one could apparate in or out unless they were a Weasley. The rest of that day was a haze but by the end, his usually spic and span apartment looked like a hoarder's house.

_Why me? _He asked himself over and over. _What did I ever do to deserve this? I have never cheated on anyone. I have never even cheated on a test. _As he lay on the living room floor, he could hear someone knocking at the door. The knocking went on for what felt like hours. _Knock-knock-knock. _A pause and then _knock-knock-knock. _Always coming in triplets.

Percy rolled over to reach for his glasses. As he did so, he felt a hard lump in his pocket. His anger and feeling of betrayal rose up again as he took the box out of his pocket. The diamond ring inside mocked him through its container. In a fit of fury he chucked it at the wall. There was the sound of glass shattering. He put on his horn rimmed spectaculars. _Penny always said they looked ridiculous. Was she right? _He asked himself as he caught a glance of himself in the mirror on his way over to see which photo had broken.

Percy lifted the moving photograph from the wreckage of wooden frame and broken glass. The photo had been taken at the start of fifth year when he and Penny had started dating. _We look so happy in our Prefect badges. _He sighed to himself. Carefully he set beside the TV on the cabinet. _It was Penny who convinced me to buy the TV… _

Percy pulled himself up onto the sofa. Cocooning himself among the clothes of Penelope that he had thrown out of his bedroom. He found the undamaged bottle of wine and began to drink like an overgrown baby.

This was the moment when Percy reached complete and utter defeat.

As he slipped into the drowsy semi-consciousness of being drunk, he heard the door.

"Oh, Percy… What happened?" A voice asked him softly.

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><p><strong>AN: I will try add chapters whenever I can so please do keep with me. If you follow then you will know straight away when it has been updated *hint hint*. I am actually really excited for next chapter. :) Please do review, guys. Any questions are welcome, my 2nd Beta had questions about the last chapter and so if you have any, feel free to ask :)**


	4. Harvey Terrace, 18b

**A/N: I am so sorry about not updating in so long! I have been so busy with school work. I will try update more in the near future. Also, Perdrey love may not start for a while since it will be SLOW and gradual as expected of Percy. Please review with any ideas for future or constructive criticism. Thanks for sticking with me. P.S. Following means you will be up to date. 04/04/2014**

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><p>Audrey checked the store for any stragglers left behind before she locked up and left. <em>Four hours since Percy was here. It feels longer. <em>She thought to herself before kicking something on the ground. She knelt down and lifted up a key ring with a key and tag on it.

She stood up and held the tag up to the light to read it.

_**Name: **__Percy Ignatius Weasley_

_**Address: **__18b Harvey Terrace, London._

_**If found, please return to owner IMMEDIATELY.**_

"Well that was easy." She chuckled, pocketing the keys. "I'm going, John, I'll lock up!" she shouted to the elderly man that owned the store. He nodded to her and Audrey waved goodbye. She locked the door behind her then walked to the bus station. She put in her earphones and hummed softly as she waited on the bus to arrive.

"Keep it down." A balding middle-aged man muttered, giving her a dirty look.

Audrey sighed and turned off the music which ultimately stopped her humming.

Once on the bus, she took the key out of her pocket. "How can a guy have such neat writing…? She asked herself quietly. "It's unnatural…" She thought about her own brother's writing, a memory springing to mind.

_10 year old Ian sat hunched over a piece of paper. He had his tongue stuck out in concentration as he wrote._

"_What's that?" I ask him. He finishes off the word he is on then hands me the page. "It's too messy to read, Ian." I tell him and he snatches the page back._

"_It's for the tooth faery. She is taking my tooth to her castle tonight. I want her to put my tooth on the tallest tower." Ian tells me. I laugh at how silly that sounds._

"_The tooth faery doesn't -" I am cut off by mum._

"_The tooth faery can't read very well so Ian's letter is perfect." She says, giving me a stern look._

A voice brought her out of her reverie.

"Percy always has been a bit OCD. His writing has to be of a certain size, shape, font and elegance." A ginger haired man said. He looked maybe a year younger than her but the wary look about his face had aged him badly and was as familiar as his hair. Audrey had to actually look up to speak to him. "George Weasley, younger brother of the prat you are about to visit."

"Ahh, it's a pleasure to meet you, George. I'm Audrey Greene, the person who is returning the keys the prat dropped." She held out her hand and George shook it. "Is your brother always so anti-social?" She asked jokingly.

George rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, more than usual, lately." He told her and glanced out the window. "If you get off at the next stop then you will be a minute walk from his apartment." He then grinned slightly. "I'm not sure what he and Penelope do in there so be ready to wait for an answer."

Audrey wrinkled her nose in disgust but laughed slightly anyway. "Thanks for the mental image."

"No problem." George chuckled. "Can you also tell him that mum expects him around for dinner tomorrow?" He asked. "He has missed multiple family dinners already."

"I'll pass on the message!" She called to him then got off as the bus stopped.

"Thanks, I will hopefully see you around!" George shouted back.

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><p>Audrey made her along the street watching the door numbers. <em>10, 12, 14, 16, 18. <em>She paused then walked to the door. It sat open and the door just to the left said 18c and to the right was 18d. Audrey made her way up the stairs in front of her, guessing that the descending stairs were to the laundry room or else the storage room. Upstairs there were two more doors. One with 18a on it and one with 18b. 18b had a lot of noise coming from it.

Audrey hesitated then decided to wait until the _crash_es, _bang_s and _wallop_s all stopped. She waited for a long time then finally reached over to the door, still sitting on the ground._ Knock, knock, knock, _pause, _knock, knock, knock, _pause, _knock, knock, _and_ knock. _ And so she continued.

Audrey never did find out how long she sat there but at some point she heard her phone ring and for the next 47 minutes and 29 seconds she listened to her sister's worrying.

"I will be home once I finish this errand. Love you, Amy." She said before hanging up and standing up.

Going against all that she knew was right and respectable, she took the key out of her pocket and unlocked the door. She gently pushed it open inch by inch. Once she peered in, the man of perfection whom she had met, lay among the wreck of his apartment.

"Oh, Percy… What happened?" She asked softly.

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><p><strong>AN: I've been told suspense is good but I will try make next chapter bigger, thanks for reading.**


	5. Time to Change?

**A/N: So sorry for the really, really long disappearance! Life was in no 1 place and I had this chapter mostly written before losing my memory pen so it had to be rewritten and it took a while to get back in the mood of writing. I hope you enjoy this chapter and hopefully I'll get it updated again soon **

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately to magical world from which came Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling and not me!**

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><p>Nothing could have prepared Audrey for what she saw when she walked in the door of 18b Harvey Terrace. For a man who supposedly strived for perfection, his living room looked as though it had just been stampeded by a herd of elephants. The place was absolutely trashed and it only took a few seconds for Audrey to find out who by.<p>

"Mr. Weasley?" She whispered, kneeling down beside the sofa, her eyes being drawn to the red hair.

He mumbled a few incomprehensible words but not much as he seemed to fall asleep straight after. His grip loosened on the bottle and it dangled from his hand upside down but nothing spilled as what was left couldn't have filled even a thimble.

Audrey took the bottle off him and set it on the floor. She chewed her lower lip as she looked around at the mess. Straightening up, she took in the main elements. Once the clothes were tidied up, the room wouldn't be too hard to clean.

And so she began to collect the clothes strewn about the apartment. It was mainly women's clothes which either meant Percy had had a fight with his girlfriend or he wasn't saying something. She decided that the first option was more likely. She took her phone out of her pocket and put some music on quietly so that she wasn't surrounded just by eerie silence and the broken man's ragged breathing.

Once all the clothes were in a pile by the electric fireplace, Audrey began to clear up the broken photo frame in front of the television. She didn't find the picture though as it had fallen behind the cabinet. She was curious as to what the frame once held but she didn't linger. There was only one other picture in the room and it looked like a family vacation to Egypt. She was amazed at the size of his family and was momentarily confused when she saw two Georges. "Twins?" She mused quietly to herself. She had to take a double look though. "Did that just move…?" She frowned but shook off the weird feeling she got from the picture and moved on.

It took a few hours but by the end of it, Audrey couldn't help but feel as though she had done a good job at tidying up. Even though she was weirded out by the photograph and the weird book titles she found about the place, she had to admit that it was a very nice flat in a decent neighbourhood. What she didn't find though, was a phone, phonebook or any way of contacting a family member to help Percy.

"You have a strange lifestyle, Mr. Weasley." She told him, sitting at the end of the sofa. If he hadn't had his legs pulled up close to him then she doubted that there would have been any room for her. "How do you keep in contact with your friends and family?" She asked although he was too unconscious to hear. "I met your brother today. His name is George. I think he is one half of a twinset." She smiled a little but it didn't last long. "He is worried about you, you know. I don't blame him. It's like trouble in Paradise here."

"He _was_ a twin." Percy mumbled groggily, reaching up a hand to rub his eyes. "Where's my glasses?" His voice quietened down as a headache settled over him.

Audrey handed them over to him. "I'm sorry for your loss, was it recently?" She asked.

He nodded slightly. "A month ago." He eased himself into a sitting position. "Why are you here, Miss… Miss… Greene?"

"You dropped your keys and I was returning them… Speaking of which, how did you get in to your own place without keys?" She asked curiously.

"Apparently my oh-so-smart ex-girlfriend hasn't enough sense to lock the door when she is cheating on me…" He muttered and stood up shakily. He made his way to the kitchen, keeping his back to her and blocking her view as he got a hangover potion out of the cupboard.

Audrey waited on the sofa. "How long were you two together?" She asked curiously.

"Since '92… So six years. Six long years…" He sighed then frowned. "Did you find… never mind." He shook his head. He wasn't ready to look at the ring right now. "When did you speak to George?" He asked, changing subject.

"On the bus on the way here. He said that you are invited to family dinner tomorrow and that your family are worried about you. Will you go?" She asked.

"I don't know… Things haven't been the same the past couple of years…" He trailed off. "I think you should be leaving, Miss Greene."

Audrey nodded and stood, pocketing her phone and heading to the door. "I'll see you soon, Percy." She gave him a small smile before leaving through the front door, quietly shutting it behind her again.

As Percy watched her go, he put his head in his hands. _Would he go to dinner tomorrow? Probably not. But Audrey seems very persistent. _He thought to himself. _She is the type of girl who would check to see if he had gone or not… _He sighed and decided to get started on paperwork due for the next day. Anything was better than sitting alone to grieve.

As he worked, part of him wished that Audrey hadn't left. He needed human company right now, pushing people away was the wrong thing to do. He knew he could be bigheaded and prattish but it was too late to change that, wasn't it? He wasn't too sure but that was future Percy's issues, not his.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry again for the long wait on all my stories!**


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